Sunday, August 24, 2008

SALAH AD DIN PROVINCE, Iraq – Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA), along with Iraqi Security Forces, discovered a series of major weapons caches in Salah ad Din province over the past several days.

Acting on tips from local citizens, soldiers found a bevy of serviceable weapons Northeast of Balad and Southwest of Samarra, which ranged from sniper’s rifles to highexplosive ordnance.

Soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment were led to a weapons cache near Balad City on Aug. 19. The cache consisted of different sizes of mortar and artillery rounds, mines, rocket-propelled grenades and launchers, explosives and bomb making materials, a sniper rifle and anti-coalition propaganda. Three individuals were detained in connection with the sizable cache.

South of the city of Samarra, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 17th Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, turned in a large cache consisting of 87 155 mm rounds and 30 68 mm rockets, along with explosives and other bomb-making materials.

Also on Aug. 19, Soldiers from the 1st Special Troops Battalion in ad Dwar were led to a cache site consisting of chemical suits, gloves, boots and masks. The cache also housed electronic materials used in the making of explosive detonation devices, along with over 885,000 Iraqi Dinar and $6,500 in U.S. currency.

“There is no doubt that the weapons found around the province in the last several days, were intended to be used in attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Hauerwas, 1st Brigade Combat Team executive officer. “The people of Salah ad Din, are tired of the senseless bloodshed and are leading ISF and CF to more and more weapons caches in the region,” he said.

“Iraqis are seeing the Iraqi Security Forces as a more capable and professional force, leading people to put more faith in their ability to provide security from extremists who use fear, hatred, and violence to advance their cause,” said Hauerwas.